Through A Glass, Darkly
by spin1978
Summary: Bleach AU. What happens if our heroes fail? Will anyone notice? Or does life carry on....until the specter of the past rises from the ashes?


Author's Note: Couldn't help but play with this idea. Certainly not the first story on here to contemplate this sort of outcome, but I thought that looking at it through the eyes of someone who didn't know the story would be interesting. Reviews, as always, are appreciated.

Disclaimer: _Bleach_ isn't mine. The necessary original characters are mine, however.

* * *

I suppose it all started when I managed to release my zanpakuto for the first time. While I had summoned her at the end of my third year at the academy, she refused to speak to me for nearly a year, only muttering the occasional "Annoying little boy" whenever I tried to speak to her. While being able to fight with a proper zanpakuto - and not an issued asauchi - might allow me to graduate from the academy, and I could have likely scored an unranked position in the Gotei 13 given my other skills, it was not a strong indicator of future success.

It was at the end of my fourth year, and I was on a training exercise in the living world, when it all happened. We were facing some of the pseudo-hollows that the 12th Division had cooked up when my squad came under attack by a real hollow. A Menos Grande, at that. The night sky ripped open and out it came, a giant dark-cloaked pit of nauseating reiatsu, towering over not only us but also the buildings along our street. My three classmates and I were shocked still when we saw it, eyes glowing at us, a red orb of reiatsu coalescing near its mask's mouth.

**Welcome again, Kyuzo**, she said, the flame-haired woman on the meadow below the brightly burning sun, just out of reach but merely beyond one's fingertips, it seemed.

_Any advice this time around?_ I asked my zanpakuto's spirit, dipping into my inner world.

**No**, she said. **You wish to know me, yet you've never even pursued me after I've told you oh so much about me. And you.**

"_I am fire and life itself, power made flesh_," I mimicked her earlier words to me, her white robes with gold trim billowing in the light summer wind. _I have spoken with you, reasoned with you, debated with you. I suppose you are some part of me that is truly unknowable, perhaps. _

**Am I? You have never...**_**done**_**...anything with me, though. Talk, talk, talk. Less dialogue, more action.** She smiled as she walked away, turning from me into the endless green horizon.

I then realized that was it. I had figured that I could reason with my zanpakuto, figure out what sort of trial or battle or process I needed to endure or complete or win, and then do it. But my zanpakuto - me, after a fashion - didn't want that or need that. It needed action to temper my reason and thought. Strike first and ask questions later, for once.

I ran, tackling her around her waist, landing on top of her on the surprisingly soft ground. The thought that my zanpakuto spirit was built for some serious sin blitzed through my mind before I remembered what I wanted to say.

_You're coming with me. I have something to do, and you're going to help this time._ She smiled and whispered in my ear what she had been waiting to say, and I had been waiting to hear....

"Consume all existence, Hou-ou," I said, my zanpakuto blade glowing a bright white, the plain solid red handle and solid gold tsuba turning into a bright white handle and brilliant gold tsuba, the blade itself dimming to simply a radiant white color, looking more like an incredibly hot flame made solid than something one would see from an ice or snow-type zanpakuto. Intertwined red, green, and gold braids formed a tassel extending about a third of a meter from the end of the handle. I looked up at the menos grande, still accumulating its reiatsu for a cero blast. It certainly was taking its time, I thought, as I leapt up and struck solidly down its mask, the mask splitting and the hollow decaying from the ground up into sparkling bits of spiritual energy. I came down, turning to face my squadmates. They all looked as if they were shocked into stillness, not able to move.

I looked out past them, my one instructor moving towards us at a fast clip, looking back at my classmates.

"Sir!" I exclaimed. "There's something-" I saw the glint off a fly's wings. The wings were *stationary*, trapped in mid-wing stroke. It then came to me. I had frozen time in a certain radius around me. It was why the hollow was taking so long to build up its attack, it's why my squadmates were as still as statues, and why this fly was posed in this position. I looked at my zanpakuto, a small grin breaking out.

"Outer training grounds, as soon as I can manage it," I whispered, sending a faint tendril of reiatsu into my zanpakuto, pushing it to reseal, returning to the original color scheme. My classmates breathed, looking at me and where the menos grande had been standing on the precipice of attack.

"Hasegawa, you can stay here with me for a bit. The rest of you, get back to the Senkai gate," my instructor barked. A sharp "Yes, sir!" came from all of us, my classmates hurrying back to the Senkai gate. "So, did what happen be what I think finally happened?"

"Yes, sir, if you're asking about attaining my initial release, that is," I said. "Command and my zanpakuto's proper name." A grin broke out across his face.

"Good job, Kyuzo-chan." He clapped me on the shoulder, a bright flicker in his eyes, level with mine. "It's about damn time, I'd say. It always bothered me that you summoned your zanpakuto as you did last year without learning much about it, but I suppose given the circumstances, there wasn't much to be done about it." I had been spending a weekend's leave with a friend - of the female and single variety - and we were accosted by some asauchi-wielding thugs. I managed to, in the heat of the moment, summon my zanpakuto and slice through the spiritually blank weapons they wielded, running them off.

"Thank you, sir." As he resheathed his zanpakuto, walking towards the Senkai gate, I followed suit, relaxing a bit in the rather quiet small town where the training exercise had been scheduled. The street lights were dim at this hour, the moon waning weakly in the sky. The breeze slowed down, the occasional chirp or squeak ringing crisply in my ears. "I know that there's an academic break coming up, followed by the rotations with the divisions. I was wondering if you could provide me clearance to use the outer training grounds during the break."

"Of course, Kyuzo-chan." We came up to the Senkai gate, the two Kido Corps shinigami guards waving us through. "First, though, I need to report your attainment of shikai to the Captain-Commander per regulations. I witnessed it, and can note that it appears to have a time-dilation power in a limited radius around you, its wielder. Now, as to anything you manage to learn in the future....that's for you to know and others only to find out at the moment of their demise." I was going to laugh, but saw that Ishii-sensei wasn't laughing.

"Yes, sir. Are we going to report in right away? It's far too early in the morning, I'd think-"

"No, you're going to write your part of your patrol's report, and then come with me to the 1st Division. Once you've finished there, turn your section of the report to your classmates, and they can handle the rest. I don't want to incur the wrath of 4th Division if I overworked you on the day you attained your release." While there was little concern of long-term damage or injury, it was general practice to let someone rest for a day or two after attaining their release to let the new level of power equilibrate with the young shinigami in training.

"Yes, sir," I said as we stepped through the Senkai gate, opening out into the courtyard of the academy. One of the staff members mentioned that the rest of my team had already been dispatched back to the dormitories to start on their post-patrol report and debrief as we headed to Ishii-sensei's office. I was handed pen and paper and began to write, Ishii-sensei offering me some iced tea as I wrote. I managed three densely cramped - but legible - pages of my recollections and lessons learned from the patrol, as well as a short 20 minute period of faint nodding off, before we had to head to 1st Division.

"I have to report attainment of shikai to the Captain-Commander," I told my classmates when I dropped off my write-up. Meiko understood, having attained her shikai earlier that year. Typically, from what I had been told, the senior 1st Division officer on duty would accept the report from the student and accompanying academy instructor, and filed away as instructed in the regulations. It was more that all such records ultimately did pass by the Captain-Commander's desk for at least a perfunctory signature, presuming it wasn't his Vice-Captain's forgery to accelerate the pace of paperwork flow.

"Congratulations, Kyuzo-kun," Fukuda Meiko said. "We'll have to celebrate later, maybe right when break starts." I nodded, trailing Ishii-sensei on the trek over to 1st Division. "Perhaps we'll have some last-minute breakthroughs to honor as well." Her bright auburn brown hair swirled around her face as she turned back to the patrol written debrief. She was the tallest girl in my class, in heels teetering a bit over me, in fact. Sadly, they were not standard issue for Academy females. She was a product of the 4th District in Rukongai, her adopted parents being fairly well-off merchants.

It was about twenty minutes to the 1st Division, the two of us being waved in after presenting identification and being searched. I received a few slight nods from the guards on duty, likely the paternal silent applause seniors gave to potential juniors.

The sixth seat was handling 1st Division traffic this early in the morning, we saw, it being a mocha-skinned woman sitting alone in the office. I went through the standard entries, most of it being a repeat of countless previous forms I had filled out over the years.

_Name._ **Hasegawa Kyuzo**.

_Sex_. **Male**.

_Height._ **6'0"**.

_Weight_. **95 kg**.

_Hair_. **Brown**.

_Eyes_. **Hazel-green**.

_Blood type_. **O+**.

_Academy status_. **Fourth Year Student**.

_Zanpakuto_. **Hou-ou**.

_Zanpakuto type_. **Kido**. (I figured this was as likely as any other - she clearly wasn't a melee weapon, and there was no indication of elemental affinity.)

_Release command_. **Consume all existence**.

_Shikai power_. **Time dilation within a variable radius of zanpakuto, depending on spiritual power**_**. **_

There were a couple of other fields to answer, and some minor explanations, and multiple initialing and signature spots, and Ishii-sensei had his own complementary documentation to complete.

"Good work, Hasegawa-san," the sixth seat said to me in a formal tone, as we handed both sets of paperwork to her. "I'll see to it that Ichimaru-soutaichou receives this today or tomorrow, and your formal recognition be placed in your personnel file as soon as possible." We delivered our polite but brief acknowledgement and farewells.

As we passed out of the 1st Division offices, I spotted Ichimaru-soutaichou across the quadrangle. He was one of two captains left over from before the Great Purge a century and a half ago - the former Captain-Commander had, after the still-mysterious massacre of the Central 46, taken over all of Seireitei until he and his supporters had been unseated, having waged a war that spanned Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Living World. It was said that the Spirit King personally had installed Ichimaru-soutaichou as Captain-Commander, also conferring viceregal authority upon him, as Central 46 had not been reestablished after the war. Growing up in Rukongai, I didn't have much exposure to the internal politics of Seireitei until having taken the entrance exam - to be honest, it sounded like the standard power scheming that occurred in the Living World all the time. I was also confident that there was plenty unsaid, but it didn't matter that much in the end - hollows still attacked Soul Society and the Living World looking for souls to consume. Shinigami were needed to stop them. Being a shinigami would allow for a better standard of living than living on my wits in the 56th District.

Ishii-sensei dropped me off at the dormitories, me wiping down my zanpakuto and scabbard one more time before putting it away. I went out nearly immediately, avoiding even my inner spiritual world as I was occasionally prone to do in between lucidity and sleep. I woke up at around noon, wandering off to grab a meal and report to the fourth year office, a corner suite of rooms bustling with activity at the moment. My squadmates had managed to turn in the patrol debrief about an hour previously, having cleaned up my contribution a bit. I noticed that Ishii-sensei had pushed through an approval for me to have access to the outer training grounds as available. While administered by the Gotei 13, the Outer Training Grounds had in place a certain allotment for Academy students, and could be used by any approved person if otherwise not previously scheduled. I put in a request for time during the break.

"Kyuzo-san?" I heard from behind me. "Good job on your breakthrough today." I turned around and saw it was Mifune Yuni, a former Academy student whose inability to summon a zanpakuto kept her out of the Gotei 13, but peerless abilities in kido, hohou, and administration earned a place on the Academy staff. There were a number of these sorts at the Academy, especially if they had talents which would, ultimately, serve the purpose of the Academy's mission to educate shinigami. They also, depending on their qualifications, could end up in support roles in Seireitei as a whole, including private employment with a noble house. It was also estimated that at least three-quarters of the males at the Academy had fallen all over themselves trying to impress her, and at least a couple of the ladies. I was in the category of "having tried to impress her, but hadn't fallen over himself just yet."

"Thanks, Yuni-san," I said. "Anything coming down the pike that I should be aware of?"

"Nothing that you haven't heard," she said. "Decisions for divisional rotations should be coming down within the week. You should have heard back about any scheduled final exams by now, so make sure you get any time conflicts resolved now instead of next month." She shrugged. "So, I have to ask - how different do you feel now compared to yesterday?"

"It's...relieved. Like I put down a weight and I don't have to carry it around any longer." I paused. "There's also this element of finally feeling like I have a handle on my spiritual power, that I'm no longer working with only a part of it." We exchanged a brief farewell and I wandered across the common grounds.

I realized when I made the third year students passing by me faint with my churning reiatsu, I figured I needed to work on my spiritual self-control. When Ishii-sensei heard about that, he mentioned that I had the raw power to handle a seated position in the Gotei 13 at the moment, and suggested that I avoid socializing with the lower classes until I got it under control with a smirk on his face.

Things were fairly standard for the next few years - I graduated in the alloted six years from the Academy and was assigned to 5th Division, where I rose to 9th Seat, finding a comfortable medium between responsibility, interesting work, compensation, and my personal life. It was after a number of years that things went weird.

It was a clean-up mission in the northwestern United States, eradicating a rare but recurring spiritual aberration that could be spread from one person to another, mimicking the classical vampire mythology (except that instead of falling to dust in the sunlight, they sparkled like cheap diamonds). For the most part, assigning a seated officer to the mission was overkill, as the unranked shinigami were more than capable of handling the mission. However, there seemed to be one of the aberrations that could predict our actions, so I stepped in from overall command to pursue the creature myself.

**You can sense it, can't you?** Ho-hou asked.

_The aberration? Or the odd flows of spiritual energy surrounding it? Of course. It's as clear to me as anything I've ever sensed._ I flash-stepped through the woods, overcast and heavy with imminent rain. _My ability to map and read spiritual energy has increased as I've developed my time-dilation ability and the space-manipulation techniques, it's been critical as I don't want to overextend myself in using them._

I heard the cacophony of birds and wolves and insects blending together. **Ahh. But it is more than that,** Ho-hou said slowly. **Your ability to sense spiritual energy has become more a full-fledged sensory pathway in the **_**shikai**_** state, as finely honed as a hawk's eyesight. You can sense each tendril of spiritual energy condense, coalesce, extend and explode in all its manipulations by shinigami and hollows. **

The giant watermelon-sized rock whooshed past my head, a petite brunette with a pixie cut drawing her extended throwing arm back. I turned to face her squarely, extending my left hand.

"Bakudou 4, Hainawa," I said, the golden ropes of spiritual energy crawling up her and entangling her, pinioning her in place. She wheezed, nearly stumbling as I walked towards her, unsheathing my zanpakuto. She looked in my direction, her gold eyes surrounding her focusing pupils dilating.

"You....you're a ghost," she said.

"No, not quite. A spirit, sent to bring you to your next life," I said. "Can you see me clearly?"

"Slightly, you appear to be like a solid fog," she said. "Will this...will this hurt?"

"No, it won't," I lied. "Your soul will go onto the afterlife, a chance to start over there." She smiled, as I drove my zanpakuto through her chest. With the spiritual aberration being undone, her physical body collapsed on the ground, a hell butterfly fluttering skyward and disappearing in a burst of violet light. I resheathed my zanpakuto, leaning over and closing her eyes.

After returning to Soul Society and completing the mission debrief, I had planned on taking some leave. The summons to report to the 1st Division at the start of next week put the dampers on that idea. I figured I was either being investigated or being screened for a mission that was being run out of the Captain-Commander's office.

I reported to the 1st Division guard house at 8 am sharp on Monday morning, wearing a fresh uniform, my zanpakuto and scabbard polished to near-perfect reflection, freshly shaved and hair shorn to a few millimeters. "Hasegawa Kyuzo, 9th Seat of the 5th Division, reporting as ordered," I said to the guards.

"One moment, sir," the guard said, the female guard also at the checkpoint checking my name against a list. She nodded.

"Let me take you to the captain's office," she said. "Follow me, Hasegawa-san."

She was not the greatest conversationalist, I must say. She dropped me off at the captain's office, where I waited for about five minutes before the shinigami at the desk waved me back.

"Welcome, Kyu-kun," Ichimaru Gin, Captain of the 1st Division and Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 said as I walked into his office. He was sitting behind his desk, his eyes slitted open perhaps a millimeter. "Please, take a seat, relax. Would you like for me to call for some tea? Dried persimmons, perhaps?"

"No thank you, sir, I already had breakfast this morning," I said as I took a seat, adjusting my zanpakuto so that it hung safely without scraping the floor with my scabbard. I kept my eyes level - I had only ever seen Ichimaru-soutaichou at a distance in the past, outside of the one time I passed by him in the graduation review when I was finishing up at the academy.

"Ahh, well, maybe later then," he said with that perpetual grin on his face. "So, I saw that you've been 9th Seat at 5th Division for a few years now. I do so remember my time there well."

"Yes, sir. It's been an honor to serve, and service at the 5th Division has been a challenge as well as its own reward, sir."

"Oh, of course, Kyu-kun, of course. Perhaps, though, you'll accept an invitation to participate in the 1st Division intradivision placements next week on Tuesday morning."

I stuttered my breathing at this offer for a moment. While one could directly challenge for a higher rank in your division or another's, it was generally a bad idea unless you absolutely knew that you were going to win, as the consequences could be catastrophic to your career. Participating in your division's placement trials was generally a way to challenge for a higher rank without coming off too badly in the end, as there was a notion that you were giving your captain a better handle on one's skills. Participating in another division's placement trials was certainly safer for your career, although you could be expected to have absolutely no quarter from the other participants. To be invited by a captain to participate in his or her division's trials was either a great honor.....or they were setting you up for something which likely would take you by surprise.

"Thank you for the most inviting offer, sir. I am greatly honored that you brought this to my attention."

"Heh, it's nothing, Kyu-kun. I'll put you down for the Vice-Captain's trials, then?"

I stifled a gasp about a microsecond in, but nodded at this. I figured that I was being set up. I turned out to be right, but I could not have imagined for what.

It was a clear, fairly bright Tuesday morning for the 1st Division placement trials. I had participated in the 5th Division's last one when I earned my 9th Seat, and it was basically a round robin. You fought everyone interested in that position, and the person with the best record wins. Here in 1st Division, it seemed that there was a bracket setup - the bracket for Vice-Captain was short, me versus an 11th Division applicant and then the winner facing the current 1st Division 3rd Seat.

It was about 3 pm by the time I got to my first fight. Unlike the previous matches, which were refereed by either the 3rd or 4th Seats, Ichimaru-soutaichou made his appearance just in time. I was facing this 15th Seat from 11th Division. Normally, someone who was at this rank would be looked at a little oddly, but it was not unprecedented for 11th Division shinigami to view these serious divisional trials as an opportunity to just fight shinigami they'd never met for the sheer joy of battle.

"Now, you will start when I give word, and you'll stop when I tell you to stop. Now go," Ichimaru said. My opponent was about my height, with wild violet hair and a manic leer on his face. He had already drawn his zanpakuto and was charging towards me when Ichimaru said to go.

"Hadou 4, Byakurai," I said, a burst of lightning shooting from my left hand directly at him. He swung his blade at the kido, deflecting it as I shunpoed to my left.

"Bakudou 1, Sai," I followed up, binding his arms to his back, blade falling to the ground. I shunpoed directly towards him, standing in front of him. I put my right arm up around his shoulders, leaning in and sweeping my right leg under his feet, toppling him to the ground. I withdrew my zanpakuto and leveled it at his neck.

"You cheated! What the hell was that, using all that kido? You filthy piece of-"

"Hasegawa-san, congratulations on your victory." Ichimaru's announcement shut up the 11th Division shinigami, the 5th Seat of the 1st leading him away. "Take a break, and we can have the final bout in five minutes." I would have said he smiled at this, but he was always smiling, it seemed.

I did well, for the most part. The 11th Division shinigami clearly wanted a fight - I wanted a quick victory. Mindset, as I had learned, made all the difference. I saw it plenty of times, in a variety of contexts. There were the people who, when training, would go at things to win, not to learn. Eventually, they plateaued since they never took the time to fully develop their skills. Conversely, there were those who had no notion of ever fully committing to something and going all out. When it came time for combat, they were frequently caught unaware since they had never experienced that adrenaline dump from being in a situation where you had to go all out. I had also not given away anything of note - a brief demonstration of basic kido and shunpo, and of course judicious use of my zanpakuto at the very end. I had a quick drink of water and a moment to sit down and just slowly breathe in and out before coming up for the bout that would determine the new Vice-Captain.

A curt nod between the 3rd Seat, Shioda Masu, and myself was followed by him drawing his zanpakuto and attacking me. I drew Ho-hou and evaded, the two of us trading blows for no more than two minutes. I attempted to burn a Byakurai through him at close range, but he managed to knock me off course with a fast Sho hadou. Going at one another unreleased was probably going to just prolong this less-than-effectual exchange. Shioda also realized this, I figured. I was proven correct when he released his zanpakuto a moment later, his blade turning into a giant war spear and leveling it at me, a bolt of concentrated silver reiatsu shooting out from the end at me. I used a shielding bakudou and shunpoed myself fairly close to him, within 5 meters.

"Consume all existence, Ho-hou," I said, Shioda freezing in time just as I had planned. I struck at his soul sleep, not severing it but giving it a serious shock, enough that he'd be out for a month or so recovering, I deduced. Ho-hou returned to her sealed state, him dropping to his knees. He looked up at me, not entirely sure what was going on.

"Masu-kun, Kyu-kun, the match is over. I do appreciate the show," Ichimaru said, flashing next to us. I sheathed my zanpakuto, one of the medical apprentices in the 1st Division coming on over to take care of Shioda. "Well, then, I suppose this is now yours," Ichimaru continued, pulling the 1st Division armband from inside his haori, handing it to me. "I'll see you next week, Kyu-kun. That should be enough time to move into the division."

I went back to the barracks at 5th Division quietly. At around 10 pm, the news must have filtered down to everyone in 5th Division. I got a visit from my captain and vice-captain at first, then my friends in the division. They were both a bit surprised by the news, but both realized that I had been coasting for a couple of years as 9th Seat. My captain said that if I ever wanted to return, he'd understand and find a place for me, albeit it no longer at my present - former? - position.

At around 1 am, after most of the gawkers, surprised colleagues, and valued comrades had left, I had one last caller. It was Meiko, now cooling her heels as the 5th Seat in 10th Division, as she liked her seniors too well to challenge them, but certainly desiring a 3rd Seat (Assistant Adjutant) position somewhere, if not a bit higher.

"Well, Hasegawa-fukutaichou," she said. "How does it feel?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest." I looked at her, sitting on the chair near my bed. "I'm curious as to why you didn't sign up for the 1st Division trials, though."

"I don't want to join 1st Division. Ichimaru-sama is.....well, I'm intimidated." I had to lean in to hear that last sentence. "Also....while I figured you wouldn't kill me if I appeared against you, I couldn't say the same about the others. I'd prefer to die a death in proper combat, not inside Soul Society for rank."

"Thanks, I think." She smiled a bit. "So, any news from the old crowd?"

"Nothing in particular. You're the first of our class to have made fukutaichou rank, Jiro and I figured earlier today. He sends his regards, as he's got duty this evening. He says that if you've got time this weekend, we can do a proper bar crawl. Speaking of which, are you still seeing that girl who runs a bar?"

"Lei?" I inhaled. "No, she and I....it wasn't working. We had a difference of opinion about my service in the Gotei 13." Mostly that I was in it at all, but not something that had to be said at this moment.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I always figured dating outside the ranks might keep you from the problems most of us have."

Problems which, the following morning, I was going to have to work hard to avoid as I woke up with Meiko next to me in bed half naked. Oh hell. Moving into my new quarters at 1st Division did not take nearly as much effort or trouble as I had feared - between the help I was able to request from friends at 5th Division, and my new subordinates at 1st Division, it was mostly all done by Saturday night. After a weekend spent soaking in alcohol, I reported to 1st Division bright and early on Monday morning, armband in place.

Ichimaru wasn't around that morning, so I settled into my office, introducing myself to the office staff. After lunch, I went to see Shioda, recuperating in his quarters.

"Good afternoon, fukutaichou," he said with a nod.

"Hello, Shioda-san. How are you feeling?"

"I am feeling better, Hasegawa-fukutaichou, thank you for asking. I should be ready for light duty in two weeks, in fact."

"Good to hear. If I may be of any assistance, please let me know." I glanced towards the door. "I must be going, however, I look forward to working with you upon your return."

"Thank you....sir." He paused. "I appreciate the offer, and I want to thank you for not being excessive with your paralytic power in your shikai. It was....surprisingly humane."

"It was all I had time to do that would let me win the match but not put you in recovery for too long - against you or a lieutenant, I have enough time for an initial strike, your spiritual power would cause you to shake off the effects fairly soon." I chose not to correct his impression of my initial release, nor to mention anything else about it, heading back to the office for the afternoon. Ichimaru was still nowhere to be found, which I thought was a bit odd, but given the amount of staff under his command for both the division and office of the captain-commander, I supposed he could get away with generous delegation.

"Hasegawa-fukutaichou, a question about the visit of the Spirit King?" my 4th Seat, Muso Kimiko, asked. She was my go-to person until Shioda returned, I figured, a maternal-looking shinigami who had been at 1st Division since right after the Great Purge.

"Muso-san, come on in," I said, waving her into my still-spare office. She closed the door behind her, taking a seat. "What, exactly, is the situation with the Spirit King's visit?"

"We - 1st Division - are responsible for providing escort and hospitality services for the Spirit King during his visit every 20 or so years. We need to start allocating a few shinigami to getting the quarters ready, as it's been rather neglected since his last visit. I figure one year of steady work should be more than suitable for his visit in, well, a year's time."

"It sounds reasonable enough, leave me a copy of the file you've assembled on this so I can go over the details." She clearly came prepared, leaving the file she walked in with on my desk. After dismissing her after mentioning a few details about the meeting schedule for the week, I took a look at the file.

The former quarters of the Central 46 was used as the Spirit King's visiting residence, from what I could gather from the file. It had been used sporadically as a safehouse for shinigami involved in sensitive operations or investigations, but was otherwise in desperate need of repair and upkeep. I figured that Muso's request was certainly worth the effort. I figured we could also call upon Fourth Division as well for the more mundane tasks.

The days passed rather unextraordinarily, except for the fact that Ichimaru didn't show up until Thursday morning. Right before lunch, he called me into his office.

"Kyu-kun, so glad to see you here," he said, snacking on some dried persimmons. "How do you find my division?"

"It's been quite an experience, sir. Muso-san has been extraordinarily helpful in settling me into the daily duties, and the quarters and other accomodations have been superb from what I've seen."

"Ahh, wonderful to hear, quite wonderful." He pushed the bowl towards me. "I make these myself, you know. The grove of persimmon trees in the northeast part of the division grounds seems to be perfect for making these." I took a single one, somewhat gingerly tasting it.

"Thank you, sir." After finishing swallowing, I looked back up at Ichimaru's perpetually smiling countenance. "Shioda-san should be returning by the end of the month in limited duty, so I expect that meetings of the division's seated officers will resume with a full complement at that time."

"You checked in on him this week, then?" I nodded. "Glad to see you are already bonding with your subordinates here."

"Shioda-san is a fine shinigami," I said. I had peeked at his personnel file the other day, he had a very solid record of success here at 1st Division. "I look forward to working with him upon his return."

"Quite admirable, Kyu-kun. I think you will make for a fine vice-captain. Speaking of which, I have a small task for you. A modest traitor, of sorts, has reappeared in the Living World. He does tend to associate with particularly talented and gifted sorts, so I figure this is something quick for you to do to finish out your first week." This last statement was said that with that indistinguishable tone of his, making it impossible to get a tell as to whether he was being serious or mocking me. He pointed at a file on the edge of his desk nearest me.

"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it. I suppose I can read up and make my plans today, and leave tomorrow morning." I peeked at the file's front page. "Yamada Hanataro?"

Ichimaru nodded. "Indeed."

A/N - Gold stars to anyone who picks up on the various pop culture references in here. Heh.


End file.
